Henderson Volunteer Fire Department postpones expansion

HENDERSON  Without money to continue, the Henderson Fire District Board of Commissioners voted to postpone a $1 million-plus expansion of its building.

The board voted unanimously at a special meeting Saturday afternoon to delay further action until grants could be found.

If you aint got the money, you aint got the money, said John F. Taylor, the Henderson Volunteer Fire Departments chief, afterward. Theres got to be something out there.

Development of the project, which would include an expansion of the buildings garage and improvements to its banquet hall and parking lot, started in 2011. The department spent about $105,000 in architectural and planning costs for the project.

Board members said they had the impression when they started that grant funding in some form would be available to help pay for the project.

We were kind of assured it would be there, and now its not, said board member Richard F. Esden.

The department pushed to expand its garage space because of increasing truck sizes that have left little room for movement among the six vehicles. Another portion of the project is increasing the height of the buildings roof.

To save money, the department also considered completing the project in pieces, but the necessary roof repairs for the building left few areas to save costs.

The board briefly considered canceling the project altogether, but changed the wording to list it as a postponement to reflect the progress and investments it had already made.

Board members also approved purchasing a new computer for their office.

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